ESSAY TOPIC 3 Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. — Albert Einstein. Do you agree? Knowledge issues brainstormed in class. (Be aware that these knowledge issues in some instances need reworking)
Can knowledge exist without imagination?
To what extent can knowledge be generated without imagination?
Does emotion play a role in imagination and ultimately the acquisition of knowledge?
To what extent does reason play a role in imagination?
To what extent is knowledge obtained through imagination valid?
To what extent can imagination exist without prior knowledge?
To what extent does the ideal of imagination impact on the reality of knowledge?
Should humans place more importance on the ability to imagine than acquire knowledge?
You must reference this website if you use the ideas that follow.
I think this question is one of those trivial ones which can be made important by deliberately introducing extra material.
So let's dispense with the trivial approach first.Knowledge does not exist without information, and information does not exist without data. At each stage, the questions of validity, reliability, utility, generalisability, transferability (etc., etc.) intervene in an attempt to prove or disprove the various claims that arise (whether actual or potential). Hence the only way to claim knowledge is to subject it to tests of some kind of reality — something that contrasts or is contrasted with imagination.
Without imagination, i.e. the capacity to create images/imagery or otherwise imagine, we cannot test knowledge. Knowledge therefore has no importance without imagination.In fact, etymologically and historially, the image or imago is the ideal or fully-developed concept of something. The real is merely the sub-standard shadow in Plato's cave. We see this usage in the relationship between (for example) real and ideal gases.At this point, we can concede completely that Einstein was right.
However, as always, a case can be made for negotiating on the basis of 'important'. What does 'important' mean?'Important', from Latin importare, is used to indicate something 'brought in', 'brought into the discussion'. This explains why 'import' can mean 'significance' as well as 'something shipped in'. When we say something is 'of import' or 'important', we are saying that it is a point to be noted, or that we should pay attention to it.And that is why knowledge might be thought of as more important than imagination — knowledge is reality as far as we can confirm it, and is thus the basis of our action in this world. It introduces the key points to be considered in what we do, as opposed to imagination, which is what we might aspire to (or have realised that we can never attain).The argument then, it seems to me, is whether the real is of greater value (practical or otherwise) than the ideal. It's a good debate to have. While the idea of an ideal gas allows us to conceptualise many things, no such gas exists — we have to solve problems in reality based on real gases.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. — Albert Einstein. Do you agree?
Knowledge issues brainstormed in class. (Be aware that these knowledge issues in some instances need reworking)
- Can knowledge exist without imagination?
- To what extent can knowledge be generated without imagination?
- Does emotion play a role in imagination and ultimately the acquisition of knowledge?
- To what extent does reason play a role in imagination?
- To what extent is knowledge obtained through imagination valid?
- To what extent can imagination exist without prior knowledge?
- To what extent does the ideal of imagination impact on the reality of knowledge?
- Should humans place more importance on the ability to imagine than acquire knowledge?
The ideas about question 3 that follow are fromhttp://findhorn.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/responses-nov-2012-summary.html
You must reference this website if you use the ideas that follow.
I think this question is one of those trivial ones which can be made important by deliberately introducing extra material.
So let's dispense with the trivial approach first.Knowledge does not exist without information, and information does not exist without data. At each stage, the questions of validity, reliability, utility, generalisability, transferability (etc., etc.) intervene in an attempt to prove or disprove the various claims that arise (whether actual or potential). Hence the only way to claim knowledge is to subject it to tests of some kind of reality — something that contrasts or is contrasted with imagination.
Without imagination, i.e. the capacity to create images/imagery or otherwise imagine, we cannot test knowledge. Knowledge therefore has no importance without imagination.In fact, etymologically and historially, the image or imago is the ideal or fully-developed concept of something. The real is merely the sub-standard shadow in Plato's cave. We see this usage in the relationship between (for example) real and ideal gases.At this point, we can concede completely that Einstein was right.
However, as always, a case can be made for negotiating on the basis of 'important'. What does 'important' mean?'Important', from Latin importare, is used to indicate something 'brought in', 'brought into the discussion'. This explains why 'import' can mean 'significance' as well as 'something shipped in'. When we say something is 'of import' or 'important', we are saying that it is a point to be noted, or that we should pay attention to it.And that is why knowledge might be thought of as more important than imagination — knowledge is reality as far as we can confirm it, and is thus the basis of our action in this world. It introduces the key points to be considered in what we do, as opposed to imagination, which is what we might aspire to (or have realised that we can never attain).The argument then, it seems to me, is whether the real is of greater value (practical or otherwise) than the ideal. It's a good debate to have. While the idea of an ideal gas allows us to conceptualise many things, no such gas exists — we have to solve problems in reality based on real gases.
Resources:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=172613
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic55995.html
A good forum with mean ideas!
http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/Is_Imagination_is_more_Important_than_Knowledge